“But if I don’t feel comfortable I won’t do it, I’ll never put myself in a situation where I don’t want to do something. It’s important to have your limits.”

JESSICA GOMES: ‘I WASN’T THE POPULAR GIRL AT SCHOOL’

THE SWIMSUIT APPROVAL FROM JESS GOMES

Jessica Gomes is pictured as she appears in a photo-shoot for Sunday Style. Picture: Damian Bennett. Styling: Kelly Hume

The sexy images, published this week, show Gomes topless, and wearing a see-through outfit, at Yellowstone National Park. Other shots feature the curvy beauty wearing a teeny-bikini while perched on a steep peak or standing in a geothermal park.

Gomes said: “The whole mission was to take beautiful pictures, and that’s what we did. Sports Illustrated is known for showing a lot of skin. It’s a swimsuit magazine for men.

“You know what you’re getting yourself into. I was happy to do it for them.”

Jessica Gomes on Instagram

But Gomes said the sexier shots, like her topless frolic in a river, were cold and itchy.

“It was seven in the morning, I was freezing and I had mosquito bites everywhere, so it’s not all glamorous,” she laughed.

She said the assignment, her eighth for SISE, was like a backpacking road trip.

“We drove eight hours to Yellowstone, and ate drive-through food, but you’re willing to do anything it takes to get the money shot,” Gomes said.

“Sometimes, we’d be up at three in the morning to do hair and make up, then hit the road to get to the next place.

She added: “It can be quite tiring. It’s worth it now that we can sit back, look at it and admire.”

Gomes said her preparation for SISE is similar to the regimen for her ambassador duties with retail giant David Jones.

Jessica Gomes

“I eat healthy, drink lots of water and exercise,” she said. “I’m really into boxing ... I love to hike and get into nature. You have to be prepped all the time to shoot, so I keep it in my lifestyle.”

Her supporters, including model Jason Dundas, says Gomes knows how to “bring the sexy” to everything she does.

“It’s the Portuguese flavour, which comes from my dad’s side. All the women from my father’s side are sexy, curvy, and exude this European flavour. I think you have to be yourself and use your strengths.”